Hats off to the Silkmen. An entertaining draw at a bulging Moss Rose means non-League Macclesfield remain the lowest-ranked team in this season's FA Cup and should go a considerable way towards ensuring their survival as a football club. The cash-strapped Conference team need £150,000 to remain a going concern at the end of this season and their share of the box office from the replay at Hillsborough will chip a sizeable chunk off the kind of figure many Premier League clubs consider chump change, but one that spells the difference between death and survival for a struggling club plying its trade in the fifth tier of English football.

With £67,500 prize money on offer to the eventual winners of this tie and no shortage of glamour match-ups available in Sunday's fourth-round draw, they could conceivably find themselves back in credit by the end of the month. They certainly deserve plenty of credit for this performance. Managed by John Askey, a former striker who made almost 700 appearances for the club and is now in his second spell in charge, Macclesfield came from behind to draw with the Championship strugglers, who were without in-form striker Connor Wickham, who was prevented from playing by the terms of his loan deal from Sunderland.

The man of the match, Steve Williams, was the unlikely hero, showing remarkable poise and composure for a centre-back to deftly guide the ball past Damián Martínez with the outside of his right boot after latching on to a pass over the defence from Paul Turnbull.

Visiting captain Réda Johnson had given his side a first-half lead with an unstoppable bullet-header after rising unmarked to connect with a corner from Stephen McPhail on the edge of the six-yard box.

The draw was no more than the home side deserved. Despite going behind they were quickest to settle and had the first chance of the game when Joe Connor's goal-bound header from a corner was blocked on the line by the Wednesday full-back Liam Palmer. Appeals for a penalty in the ensuing scramble were ignored by the referee, Lee Mason, and it was Macclesfield's best chance of a first half in which opportunities for both teams were few and far between.

Wednesday's goal, when it came, was from a corner. The defence was caught napping, allowing Johnson to leap unchallenged and open the scoring from six yards.

Their nerves settled and fears of acute embarrassment eased, Wednesday continued to dominate and Taylor was forced into a fine save from José Semedo, when the unmarked midfielder lashed a Kieran Lee pull-back from the byline towards the near post. Soon after, Macclesfield looked to have gained a foothold, with Martínez almost gifting them an equaliser after a mix-up with Palmer.

Having looked competitive but toothless in the first half, it was a different Macclesfield who emerged after the interval and they created enough chances to win the game. Chris Holroyd had a header from Jack Mackreth's corner blocked by Miguel Llera, while Martínez was forced to save splendidly, tipping over a rasping surface-to-air drive from the constantly lively Danny Whitaker when the goal was gaping.

Before Macclesfield's equaliser in the 72nd minute, Atdhe Nuhiu had gone close to doubling Wednesday's lead, but his piledriver from six yards was kept out by Rhys Taylor.

"We were dead and buried and I can't believe we've managed to survive as long as we have," said a visibly relieved Askey of his club in general, rather than this performance in particular. "Now there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel."

One-time League Two stalwarts, victory at Hillsborough would certainly help hasten the return of the Macc.